The Lily and The Stag
by Phiso
Summary: Well, Lily had to say yes eventually, right?
1. The Declaration

This is my first attempt at fluff and humor, so please don't burn me at the stake! X.X It's not going to be the last (unfortunately or not, it's up to you), so give me some pointers, if you please, on how to make it better.

Oh yes, please note I found this randomly while cleaning out my computer and changed it up a bit. Also note that I didn't have Meliantha edit this like I usually do, so if it sucks, well, then, now you know that apparently I need an editor to make my stuff decent. x.x

Disclaimer: All I own is what I hope is the witty banter.

  
  
  


The Lily and The Stag 

  
  


"I'm going to do it," announced James Potter upon entering the Common Room, fresh from long isolation in his dormitory. He beamed at his three friends, who were all reading in very different positions. Sirius Black was draped upon an armchair like a messy blanket, one leg hanging off the arm; Remus Lupin sat very properly, with one leg crossing the other; and Peter sat rather like a small child; he had pulled up his legs, Indian-style, onto the chair and rested his book in his lap.

Remus looked up the Charms book he was reading, mildly interested. "Do what?"

"Ask her."

"Ask who, mate?" asked Sirius politely but distractedly, engrossed in a Transfiguration book of his own.

"Evans. I'm going to ask her out," said James triumphantly. It had taken a few hours of internal debating, yes, but he was going to do it.

However, the lack of response what not what he expected. Looking upon his friends, he saw no - if any - indication that they even heard his major declaration.

"A little support here?" he pressed, clearly disappointed.

Remus sighed and closed his book. "Well, normally, we would be. But it's just – "

"You ask her out every other week," said Sirius in a pained voice, stretching his arms out and dropping his book on the floor.

Peter agreed. "It's getting old. She's starting to use the same excuses twice in a row," he pointed out.

James frowned. "She is?" After a moment of pointless reflection, he shrugged it off. "But this time it's going to be different!" he insisted. "I'm going to be all romantic about it and everything – "

Sirius snorted and started to laugh, and soon Peter and Remus were joining him. James scowled. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

"It's just…" began Remus, trying to hide a smile.

"You always say that!" finished Peter.

James stared at them. "You lie."

"'Fraid not," said Sirius, who had been laughing so hard he had fallen off his chair. Upside-down, he grinned at his friend from the floor. "You've tried, mate, but I don't think you'd recognize romance if it danced in front of you wearing a rose-coloured tutu."

"What?" said Peter faintly, wondering what on earth had inspired such a thought. Remus frowned as well.

James chose to ignore the odd choice of words. "Your idea of romance is handing a girl a box of half-eaten chocolates, so I wouldn't be one to talk!" he snapped.

"He's actually got a better sense of it than you do, from what I've seen," said Remus thoughtfully, setting his book down on the table. "On Valentine's Day, when that Ravenclaw was crying over her ex-boyfriend, he made her a dinner, remember?"

Sirius beamed. "See!"

James was not impressed. "That may be true, but by the end of the dinner you had a glass of butterbeer thrown at your face and she was back to making out with her ex."

Sirius gave James an indignant look. "Hey! I never said I meant for _us_ to get together. How do you know I wasn't playing matchmaker?"

"I didn't know that word existed in your vocabulary, Sirius," said Peter, amazed. Sirius reached up to seize a pillow from the armchair and threw it at him.

"At least I didn't turn the girl's least favorite teacher into a toad, thinking it would make her laugh!" he pointed out angrily, referring to the time James turned the potions master into a warty amphibian.

James flushed. "Hey! How was I supposed to know she didn't have that kind of sense of humor?"

"You've only been stalking her for five years," said Remus bluntly.

"I…But…Whatever!" sputtered James impatiently. "This time, I swear that I'm going to make her say yes."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Good luck with that, mate."

James gritted his teeth in anger and turned on his heel, stomping back upstairs. Clenching his fists tightly, he ignored the sound of his friends placing bets echoing behind him. James was determined to prove them wrong; he could get her to say yes, no matter what.


	2. The Question

You guys have no idea how excited I was this morning – er, afternoon - to see that I actually had reviews. Reviews! . It brightened up my whole day. :D

Well, lucky for you guys, I had this chapter all set to post. :3 All I had to do was edit it myself a little and add some lines here and there before posting it. Huzzah!

Thank you ALL for all of your lovely comments. Despite what you think, your opinion DOES matter and will guide me throughout my fanfiction-y career. :) Merci again!

Disclaimer: If you don't remember it, then it's probably mine.

  
  
  


The Lily and The Stag

  
  


James felt a blush creep up his neck and into his cheeks as he watched Lily pack up her things after Potions the next afternoon. He felt his heart swell, paining him each beat. He found his hands were sweaty, and whenever he even thought about asking her anything, he was suddenly short of breath.

He bit his lip. _Maybe tomorrow…_

_No! I said I would do it today, and I will._

Gathering his resolve, he swiftly crammed his materials into his book-bag and, swinging it over his shoulder, followed her to the staircase.

James frowned, slightly put off by the fact that girls traveled in packs. Lily was surrounded by them! Laughing; giggling; possibly gossiping. He also noticed that her friends didn't split up towards other classrooms; apparently, they had the same class she did. Great.

Lily stopped next to the stairs, taking a moment to pick up a few spare pieces of parchment that had fallen from her bag. His eyes widened hopefully as she turned to say something to her friends.

_Come on! Come on! Tell them to go away!_ He begged silently.

A moment later, they nodded and walked up the stairs without her.

_YES!_ He punched the air with his fist, thanking his lucky stars.

James took this opportunity as brashly as he could. He hurriedly made his way through the crowd and bent down to help her. His heart skipped a beat when she noticed him and looked up at him with those big, green eyes of hers. _God, those eyes…_

For a second they held his, seemingly happy to see him, and James thought he would burst. Unfortunately, they frowned at him a second later, and his heart plummeted down to his stomach.

"Hey, Evans…" he said lamely, picking up the last piece of parchment.

She scowled and snatched it from him. "What do you want, Potter?" she asked venomously, spitting his name out as if it had a very bitter taste in her mouth and she didn't want to keep it on her lips a second longer.

James tried his best to conceal the sudden stab of pain running through him as he realized just how much she hated him. But he wasn't going to give up just yet.

"You…you look very nice today," he said stupidly. _Brilliant, you genius, _he thought, mentally slapping himself.

Lily gave him a suspicious look as she stood gracefully, tucking the sheet of parchment into her bag with one hand. "Thank you," she said begrudgingly. "Is that all?"

"Well…" James began, standing up. He pulled at his collar nervously.

"Spit it out," she snapped.

James quickly opened his bag and took out a quill. Tapping it with his wand, the feather blossomed into a lily before her eyes.

"Lily Evans, I come here to humbly request your company this Saturday," he said as classy as he could, charmingly bowing and handing her the flower.

Lily took the flower slowly and studied it, her gaze soft. James smiled a little – apparently he had broken through her icy attitude towards him. But no time to get cocky! There was still a ways to go.

"Why do you keep asking me?" she finally asked.

"Because," he said, straightening up. "You're a beautiful, intelligent young woman who has stolen my heart and has not given it back for five years."

As he said this, he felt he would faint. He had _never_ been this poetic before, and he was desperately afraid of messing it all up.

Lily gave him a calculating look, and James began to worry. Did he say something wrong? Did he sound stupid?

Finally she said, very quietly, "Where?"

"Hogsmeade. Wherever you want," he said quickly, his heart pounding. Was she actually considering it this time, instead of just simply saying no? "My treat," he added, in case she was having second doubts.

She looked at him sharply. "Why? Because I'm a middle-class muggle-born while you're an aristocratic Pureblood?"

James stared at Lily in shock. What was she saying?

"No! I just – " he said, surprised and feeling more than a bit insecure. "I'm inviting you. It's only right for me to pay. Besides," he added sheepishly, "I was hoping hearing that would convince you to come, but I suppose not."

Lily gave him a stoic look. James sighed, feeling horrible. After a minute of silence, he muttered, "I guess that's a no…"

Crestfallen, he began to go down the stairs, hanging his head sadly. How he had wished she would say yes, just this once…

"Wait."

He stopped and looked back at her so fast that his neck cricked. Massaging the muscle with his hand, he asked, "What?"

"Yes," she said simply.

James stared at her, his jaw hanging.

"Y…yes?" he said incredulously, hardly daring to believe it.

"Yes," she repeated, giving him a funny look.

James stood there, shocked out of his mind. Suddenly, he let out a great whoop of joy and jumped up, punching the air with his fist. He could faintly hear Lily's amused giggle as she watched this.

He quickly walked back up the stairs and smiled at her earnestly. "I…I'll….I'll see you at the front doors…I…Do you want flowers? I'll bring them anyway…If you don't like them, tell me; I can – No, what can I do? Maybe I shouldn't bring them…Do you want me to? And…oh my God, thank you, _thank you_…I…I can't believe this…" He said this extremely fast and with hardly any breath at all; he couldn't stop his incoherent rambling until he heard Lily's laugh.

"Calm down!" she said, trying to smother her amusement. "I'll see you at the front doors, flowers are nice but not necessary, and you're welcome." James was delighted to see that she could barely contain her smile.

Grinning madly, he said, "Okay. Saturday it is."

She nodded. "Saturday."

James let out another cry of joy and danced down the stairs and to his next class, tripping a few times but continuing to express his happiness nonetheless.


	3. The Proclamation

Another short one, yes, but I actually wanted to update. :) So it's either an update or something a bit longer.

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, do you really think I'd be posting this stuff up on here?

  
  
  


Lily and The Stag   
  
  


"YES!" he cried out in exhilaration, bursting into his Defense Against the Dark Arts in a torrent of energy. Sirius and Remus looked up from their desks and stared at him, bewildered, their quills poised in the air.

"Why are you so happy?" asked Sirius.

James danced on over to where they were sitting and dropped his bag on the desk with a loud thump. "She said yes!" he announced happily.

Remus frowned, wondering what on earth his crazy friend was talking about. "What?"

"Evans!" said James, his voice rising every second. "Lily Evans! She said yes! SHE SAID YES!" He spun around with joy, frightening his friends.

After a few seconds of silence, Remus's frown slowly melted away, an incredulous look replacing it. "You mean…"

"I asked the allusive Lily Evans out to Hogsmeade, and she said YES!" he sang out, jumping up and punching the air with his fist. Remus and Sirius exchanged looks. Sirius opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a middle aged man with blue spectacles and a stern face.

"Excuse me, Mister Potter," said a frowning Professor Limmick, "but as exciting as your love life is, you have an assignment to do."

There was a very awkward silence in which James could hear the giggles of a few of his female classmates.

"Oh, um, sorry sir," he managed at last, face burning. "I didn't think…"

"No, you didn't," finished Professor Limmick with an unsympathetic look. "Now sit down."

The class watched as James quietly picked his bag up from the desk and slunk over to the seat next to Sirius. As he took a piece of parchment and a bottle of ink out of his bag, the sound of quiet conversation and scratching quills returned to the otherwise silent classroom.

As James squinted to read the board, he heard Sirius ask, "Are you sure she wasn't kidding?" Turning his head, he saw Sirius looking at him in a mixture of shock and pity.

Normally, he would have hexed him for that comment, but he was in much too good of a mood for that, even with his previous display of public humiliation. "She's not," he said confidently, turning back to read the assignment.

"She's not above that, you know…" said Remus softly. "She had to do that with that weird Hufflepuff, remember?"

James felt himself grow impatient; he didn't know how to make them understand. Lily didn't do that to him – she couldn't have! He turned to face his friends, frowning. "I KNOW she means it. I can feel it. It's like…" He desperately searched for the right words. "Her _eyes_ said it."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You also say her eyes hold the key to the universe, and every other imaginable thing."

James scowled and turned back to his parchment. "Some mates you are," he mumbled.

"It's not that we're trying to be a pain, but…" Sirius trailed off.

"We don't want to see you hurt," finished Remus.

James felt touched, but only slightly. Their lack of support still smarted.

"I'll show you," he muttered under his breath. "Just wait until Saturday."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lily arrived ten minutes late to Herbology, and she apologized profusely to Professor Sprout for another good five minutes before she was ordered to sit down and get to work. With a small smile on her face, she obliged and set up next to one her best friends, Alice Keller.

"I've never seen you be late to class and still have a smile on your face," observed Alice with amusement. "What's got you so happy?"

"Oh, nothing," she replied, tending to her screechsnaps. She scowled as one started to wriggle violently, and began to take out some of the manure she had just added.

"Lily Evans, when has it _ever_ been nothing?' said Alice with a small smirk. "I saw that Potter boy stop and help you with your bag on the way to class. Is he the reason for your unusually buoyant demeanor, by any chance?"

Lily paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. Fortunately for her, her screechsnap began to shriek loudly, and was given a few extra seconds to think up an answer.

"Well…" she started, but was interrupted by a laugh of triumph from Alice.

"I _knew_ it!" she cried. "What did he do? Did ask you with a joke? A bad rendition of The Roaches? Did he present you with Slughorn as a toad again?"

Lily fought down the urge to laugh. Slughorn _did_ make a good toad…And when it came to Muggle bands, Alice was a lost cause. "They're called The Beatles, Alice."

"Beatles, Roaches, they're all bugs in the end. So, let me guess – it was a joke this time, right?"

"No," she said softly, patting the soil in the pot down. "He gave me a lily."

Alice blinked. "A lily?"

"Mmhmm."

After another pause Alice asked warily, "You didn't say yes, did you?"

Lily just smiled and proceeded to weed another specimen of screechsnap.

"Oh my Lord, you did," said Alice, looking flabbergasted. "Are you all right? Feeling feverish? Maybe you should see Pomfrey." She quickly pulled off her glove and put her hand on Lily's forehead, her features etched in concern.

Lily laughed and pushed her friend off. "Don't give me that, Alice. I didn't do anything when Longbottom asked you."

"Frank didn't stalk me for five years!" shrieked Alice, sounding a lot like Lily's screechsnap.

"It was different this time, that's all," Lily said simply.

Alice gave her a suspicious look. "Different how?"

"Ladies! You're choking your screechsnaps!" cried out Professor Sprout.

Looking down, they noticed that their plants were wheezing softly in pain as one was being buried in dragon dung and the other was having some of its roots pulled out.

Lily and Alice quickly dropped the subject and went back to work, caring for the poor plants before they died and took their grade with them. Alice, however, was not quite finished yet. She resolved to get to the bottom of this before the day was out, because the Lily she knew didn't like James Potter enough to actually go out on a date with him.

Or did she?


	4. The Inception

Goodness? Could it be? Am I really updating? Yes! Yes, I am!

It took me awhile to think this chapter up. It wasn't that I didn't want to continue, it was the fact that everything I thought up had already been done or I just wasn't happy with. At long last, my muse smacked me upside the head with a bat – or rather, a pink teacup. Now you get to read the spoils.

Disclaimer: The only things that belong to me are the expressions on their faces when they realize where I'm leading them.

  


The Lily and The Stag

  
  


It was a beautiful Saturday morning at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The sun was shinning cheerfully over the grounds, making the lake sparkle like a diamond. A soft breeze, cool to the touch, gently pushed puffy white clouds overhead, providing shade. In other words, perfect Hogsmeade conditions – well, if it would stay that way, at any rate…

xxxxxx

Alice looked at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time. If Lily didn't hurry up, they'd be late for the departure to Hogsmeade. "How much longer do you plan to take?" she moaned from the bed, rolling over onto her back.

Lily glanced at her friend, sprawled out on the bed like a starfish, and felt a pang of guilt. She didn't mean to make Alice wait so long, but if she didn't look absolutely perfect today…

Turning back to the mirror, she said in an assuring voice, "Hold on, I'll just be a minute."

Alice shifted position slightly and started at the clock. After another minute passed, she sighed loudly and fell back down on the bed.

Lily didn't respond this time; she was too engrossed in her belt to notice. It was the last piece of the puzzle: she had already tackled her hair, her makeup, her shirt, sweater, pants, shoes, socks, and jewelry. After a few hours of work, everything had fallen into place – except her belt. For some reason, she couldn't make a decision on which one to wear and this made her uneasy, because she was usually never this indecisive.

"Just picked something already!" shrieked Alice from the bed as Lily changed her belt for the fourth time. "It's just a belt!"

Lily said nothing; she simply stood in front of the mirror, musing and posing in various ways to see if she liked the look of this belt better than the last.

"That one looks fine, now come on, we're going to be late," growled Alice, grabbing a nearby pillow and quietly strangling it. "There'll be no point for this if we don't get to go."

"Just give me one more minute, I promise."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"James, you're giving me allergies," complained Peter as daffodil petals flew around his head.

"Goodness, they're just flowers," Remus coughed. He quickly lifted a book to his face as a shield from the sudden barrage of pollen.

"Hurry up, or we're going to be late," chimed in Sirius, not wanting to be left out.

James was standing beside the unlit fireplace, transfiguring a bouquet of flowers in his hand from one type to another in rapid succession. Remus and Peter were sitting on either side of him, perched on armchairs, and Sirius was watching his friend from the floor, his arms and chin resting on a table.

"Hold on," muttered James with a frown and with a tap of his wand made the daffodils become cherry tulips.

"James, we have five minutes to get to the entrance," said Remus reasonably. He risked shifting the book down to his chin to add, "Unless you want to run, pick something now."

"I've tried roses, daisies, pansies, jasmine, baby's breath, violets, forget-me-nots, poppies, gardenias, sunflowers, daffodils, and tulips," James grumbled impatiently, "and none of them seem to say, 'Lily!'"

"Have you tried lilies?" asked Sirius sardonically.

A look of dawning comprehension crossed James's face, and Sirius snorted.

"Padfoot, you're brilliant!" cried James, and with a tap of his wand the red tulips blossomed into pure white lilies.

"Yes, Padfoot's a genius, can we go now?" sniffed Peter, getting up from his armchair. "I need some fresh air, and I shouldn't run with allergies."

Sirius beamed and straightened up. "I am rather brilliant, aren't I?"

"Who cares, let's go," said Remus dully, pushing Sirius's head down below the table and heading for the portrait hole.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Where is he?" muttered Lily for the sixth time. Completely ignoring her friend, she bounced on the balls of her feet and stretched as tall as she could in an effort to spot James's mop of messy black hair.

"He'll be here," Alice dutifully replied back in a dull voice. Looking up at the sky, she noticed a small grey wisp of cloud floating by overhead.

_I hope that's just a straggler,_ thought Alice. _Otherwise, Lily's in for one hell of a first date._

"Oh no!" cried a voice, distraught. Alice started and turned at Lily, who was staring at her hair and looking as if she might cry.

"What's wrong?" asked Alice, her concern laced with impatience. Good Lord, it was just hair, and as far as Alice could tell, it was still the same color and length.

"The humidity," she whined uncharacteristically. "It's going to ruin it."

Alice resisted the urge to roll her eyes and took out her wand. After making sure Filch wasn't around, she tapped her friend on the head with the wand.

"There," she said briskly. "Now the humidity won't affect it anymore."

The look in Lily's eyes sang praise. "Oh, thank you, Alice, thank you - "

"Oh, get a hold of yourself," snapped Alice. "You're acting like a first year. Now calm down, they've just arrived."

Lily paused to reflect before looking in the direction Alice was turned to. Maybe she had a point, thought Lily as she studied the leaves on the ground. She had never gotten this, well, annoying, for anyone before. What made James different? She'd had classes with him for seven years, so one would think that she would be used to seeing him by now. Why was she suddenly so nervous?

Lifting her head, she spotted James and his band of mates and felt her heart skip a beat. That was definitely unexpected.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

James swore that he stopped breathing the moment Lily looked up at him with those big, green eyes of hers.

"Do you want me to pinch you to make sure you're not dreaming?" he vaguely heard Sirius say before feeling a sharp pain on his forearm.

"Ow!" he cried, turning back and looking at Sirius. "What was that for?" he snapped at the grinning marauder.

"You're not dreaming, mate," replied Sirius cheerfully.

Scowling and rubbing his arm with his free hand, James cursed his friend before gazing back at Lily. His frustration with Sirius melted away as Lily gave him a shy smile.

_Sod off, Padfoot,_ he thought._ I get to spend the day with Lily._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What's so bloody great about Evans anyway?" muttered Sirius as they walked towards Hogsmeade. Peter sighed loudly in agreement. "I mean, she's just a girl."

"Well, for a girl, she has her redeeming qualities," replied Remus, feeling as abandoned as his companions. "I suppose she's pretty, and she's not exactly stupid…"

"Hey!" said a voice loudly. "That's my friend you're talking about!"

The three boys stopped in tracks and turned around. A red faced Alice was walked quickly towards them, looking very angry. When she caught up to them, she faced Remus and snapped, "From the rest of them, I expect this, but from you, Remus!"

Remus blinked, surprised. "I – er," he stammered. Sirius swooped in, eager for a fight.

"Why do you care, eh?" he growled. "You do it all the time to James, you filthy hypocrite!"

"That's because James deserves it!" she retorted, taking a step towards him.

"Yea, I'm sure, just as much as Lily does!" Sirius took a step towards Alice, and Remus and Peter exchanged worried looks.

"That's a load of waffle - "

"A load of waffle, eh? Well, let me tell you where to get off - "

By this time, Alice and Sirius were face to face, yelling at each other simultaneously and making it impossible to tell what either of them was saying. Remus and Peter looked on, bewildered, and unsure of what to do. When they finally decided that it was time to pull them apart, however, the two stopped, panting for air and still glaring daggers at each other.

"So, shall we spy on them?" asked Sirius begrudgingly.

"Yes, I think that's best," replied Alice, sounding just as happy.

The path was silent for a few moments, allowing the pair to catch their breath, before Sirius headed towards Hogsmeade. "Come on, Moony, Wormtail," he called. "We'd better go find them."


	5. The Contemplation

It's time to start the party, eh?

Disclaimer: If Harry Potter was mine, trust me, book 6 would have ended very differently.

  
  


The Lily and The Stag

  


Was that _James Potter_ walking with Evans? No, it couldn't be. There was no way. Lily would rather eat dragon dung then go out with him.

But then…who was she walking with?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lily walked dutifully beside James, looking down at the stone path. Her face, which had been a red rivaling her hair at first, had long returned to its natural colour. If anyone could have seen past the long hair shielding her profile, they would have seen that the bright shade had been replaced by an expression of deep contemplation.

There was no way that James couldn't hear the whispers floating above their heads. The quiet gossip fed their air of awkwardness around them, causing Lily to think about her decision. As for the effect on James, well…she hadn't properly looked at him since they had left the school. Who knows what he was thinking.

Every time someone mentioned the unlikeness of her rendezvous with James, she found herself doubting the "yes" she had so joyfully given earlier in the week. Usually Lily disdained such talk, and gave very little attention to school scandals. However, they weren't usually about her.

Was agreeing to this a mistake? After all, they hadn't said a word to each other in quite some time, though Lily imagined that was partly her fault. Still, James wasn't making any effort at all to start conversation – why was it her responsibility? Wasn't it he who came up with this idea? Furthermore, her thoughts continued angrily, his reputation was far from perfect. James and Sirius were similar in more than just brains – or lack thereof. They were both, as much as Lily hated to admit it, rather dashing, and had been since they were young. Girls, from first years up, had been throwing themselves at the two as long as she could remember – and as far as Lily knew, they rather enjoyed the attention. Who knows how far James had gone with those girls? And worse, how could she lower herself to their level? Lily suddenly felt an angry repulsion towards herself. She had become one of those drooling groupies, hadn't she; one of those vile, empty-headed, distasteful tramps she loathed so much. No wonder people couldn't stop whispering; she had damaged her reputation beyond all repair.

She quickly stopped herself, inwardly wincing. If anything was going to turn her into one of those obnoxious tarts, it was worrying about her reputation.

"Lily?" said a voice softly.

She started. That wasn't a nosy Hufflepuff – that was James.

"Y-yes?" she stammered, feeling rather embarrassed. Thank goodness he couldn't read minds; this date was already uncomfortable enough.

His eyes examined her carefully, and she felt her stomach turn. He couldn't read minds…could he?

"Where do you want to go first?" he asked politely.

She suddenly let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, causing James to give her a funny look. Oh good, she was just being paranoid.


	6. The Continuation

I'm back!

Sorry the last one was short, but it didn't seem right to put it with this one. I don't know how long future chapters will be, but I'm making a conscious effort to write more, so they'll at least be posted closer together.

I always appreciate constructive criticism, so if you see anything you want to comment on, just do so nicely. Hehe.

Disclaimer: Don't sue me, for I have nothing but old batteries and lots of last year's Chemistry notes.

  
  
  
  


The Lily and The Stag

  


James had desperately wanted to say something – _anything_ - to Lily on the way to Hogsmeade, but she seemed so deep in thought that he felt rather guilty interrupting her. After much internal debate, he decided that he could not help but speak up when they got to their destination. If she spoke up beforehand, then all the better.

Unfortunately, she did not speak up, and James was left walking beside a silent Lily, enduring endless whispers with a straight face. Hearing the incredulous remarks hurt his pride enough by themselves; wondering what they were doing to Lily was almost unbearable. He hoped feverishly that she wouldn't change her mind about the whole thing before he even got a word in.

At long last they got to Hogsmeade, but his date had not yet uttered a word. Mustering up the courage, he took a deep breath before practically whispering her name: "Lily."

Oddly enough, she jumped at the sound of her name. For a moment, he studied her, wondering what she was thinking. There was a strange guilty look in her eye, not unlike the look Peter or Remus had while lying. Worried by this, he watched her further, but seeing nothing else alarming, he continued.

"Where do you want to go first?" he asked.

Her sudden release of breath rather confused him, but before he could inquire further she replied, rather breathlessly, "Anywhere's fine, really."

"Are you sure?" James peered at her curiously.

Lily nodded.

He looked at the streets of Hogsmeade before them, wondering what they would do. He had been hoping that she had a favorite haunt she would like to visit or something in mind. Now that that idea was out the window, he wasn't sure of what to do next.

"Maybe we could just, you know, walk around, and if you see anything you like, we can stop there," he ventured, shrugging his right shoulder.

Lily gave him a half-hearted shrug of her own in return. "That sounds fine."

"All right then…let's, um, walk," James said lamely. _Smooth one there, Prongs._

Lily's face revealed no show of amusement or disgust; James wasn't even sure that her expression had changed in the slightest. Now this was getting a bit irritating. If she wasn't going to make an effort, fine, but James had Lily for the next few hours, and he wasn't about to waste it walking in silence.

He looked around, trying to find something to comment on. He spotted a woman offering a large bar of chocolate to a fat child screaming at the top of his lungs, but didn't think that was a good conversation piece. Nearby, a Ravenclaw third year was determinedly poking an explosive from Zonko's with their wand, but James wasn't sure how to twist that into an intelligent discussion; besides, by the looks of it, it was about to explode. James discreetly guided Lily to the other side of the street just in time; a moment later, the Ravenclaw was surrounded by other third years, all of them desperately trying to put the fire out of his hair.

Finally, his eyes found something interesting. Walking down the street was a thin man with a large black mustache affectionately tickling a purring Puffskein. Suddenly, he knew what to say.

He gently nudged Lily, who turned around with a dazed expression. She was obviously thinking again. James smiled and pointed out the man with the Puffskein. "Look at that," he whispered.

She smiled softly before shooting him a suspicious look. "You aren't making fun of him, are you?"

"Why would I do that?" he replied, deftly suppressing the unpleasant shock that came with her response. "I used to own one myself."

Lily gave him a funny look. "Really now?"

James nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I named him Frederick. You see, when I was younger I had an unnatural obsession with the muggle musical The Sound of Music." Lily giggled, and James took it as a sign to keep going.

"My mother, you see, she absolutely adores musicals, muggles and magical alike," he continued. "In fact, I have reason to believe that she prefers muggle performances – their sets, or lack thereof, amaze her to no end. In any case, when she heard that The Sound of Music was in muggle movie theaters, she simply _had _to see it." He grinned. "That was my first muggle movie, and it immediately caught my attention."

"Why?" asked Lily. James looked at her in surprise and almost walked into a pole as a result. Was she actually paying attention?

"Why what?' he said stupidly.

"Why did it catch your attention?" she elaborated, turning away for a moment to peer inside the post office window.

"Oh. Well, the fact that one family of singers could outrun the Nazis was pretty impressive," said James thoughtfully, stopping by her and looking at the owls. "I was also amazed by Maria's inadvertent seduction of Captain von Trapp."

"At five?" Lily said skeptically, looking at him.

"No, I didn't notice that until I was a bit older," said James sheepishly.

Lily chuckled. "So why Frederick?" she asked, curious in spite of herself.

"He was the oldest," replied James simply, "and the most masculine one of all the von Trapp children."

At this, Lily burst out laughing. James, rather affronted, demanded to know what was so funny.

"I-I'm sorry," she said in between gasps, "But Frederick…_manly_…" And she burst into another round of giggles.

"Hey! I'm telling you my old embarrassing childhood memories!" cried James indignantly. "The least you could do is take them seriously!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Move over!"

"Ow! You just stepped on my foot!"

"Yea, well, I told you to move, didn't I?"

"Shut up you two!"

"Can we stop by the Three Broomsticks, I'm thirsty…"

Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Alice were all spying on James and Lily, but doing a poor job of it. At Sirius's insistence, they chose to go through alleyways and hide behind large crowds, and as a result had been stepped on, elbowed, nudged, kicked, and pushed. Now impatient with his ideas, the quartet was now attempting to get out of the alley and onto the main street. After much squabbling, the four managed to squeeze out, each sporting a new bruise.

"That's the last time we put you in charge," muttered Alice, brushing her hair with her hand.

"Hey! At least we haven't lost them yet, have we?" Sirius retorted, take a step towards her and further messing up his robes.

"Calm down, Sirius," said Remus, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder and pulling him back. He forced Sirius to turn around and began to adjust his robes impatiently. "They'll hear you."

"Neat freak," muttered Sirius irritably, but he allowed Remus groom anyway.

"I'm thirsty," repeated Peter, looking towards the Three Broomsticks longingly as he too tried desperately to fix his appearance. Remus took one look at him and sighed. "Honestly, what did you guys do back there?" he clucked, annoyed. "It wasn't that cramped."

"I'm with Sirius on this one," grumbled Peter as Remus helped him tidy up. "You are a neat freak."

"He's the only one out of the six of us in our dorm whose side of the room is perpetually spotless," Sirius told Alice, nodding smartly.

"I'm also the only one who knows where everything is," replied Remus calmly, patting Peter on the back. "There you go."

"Bet you don't now where James and Lily are," Alice said, looking around wildly. "Because I think we've lost them."

"They're by the post office," said Remus without missing a beat. "I can hear Lily laughing."

Alice stared at him. Sirius, on the other hand, took a few curious steps forward. He cocked his head to the side and stood very still, his eyes sliding down in an effort to place the sound. When Alice opened her mouth to say something, he quickly put his palm up to silence her. She was so shocked by his behavior that she complied.

Suddenly, he lifted his head back to a normal position and nodded. "Remus is right," Sirius reported. "Lily _is_ laughing, right in front of the post office window."

Peter frowned. "Laughing? With James? Has that happened before?"

"I say we investigate," declared Sirius. "For all we know, they could have separated, and Lily is just laughing with one of her friends."

Alice nodded, and Remus replied, "I concur. Sirius, lead the way."

Forgetting all about his past failures as a spy, the group followed Sirius towards the post office. Sirius, suddenly focused, moved so deftly and quietly through the crowds that Alice was once more surprised. Since when did Sirius know how to act like a hunting dog?

"Halt," he whispered suddenly, throwing an arm back to stop them. Alice, Remus and Peter bumped into him. "If we go any farther, they'll spot us. Quick, look natural."

Remus pulled a newspaper out of his robes and leaned against a wall, engrossed in an article about flying carpets. Peter and Alice turned towards each other and commenced talking amongst themselves about the latest Quidditch match. Sirius too had something to read; he slipped a magazine out of his pocket and began to flip through his pages.

"Do you see anything?" whispered Sirius.

Remus chanced a look. "Lily's looking at James and smiling at her. He's…" His voice trailed off.

"What? He's what?" hissed Alice.

"He offered her his arm, and she took it," he finished, unable to believe it.

"WHAT?" she cried.

"Shhh!" The boys shushed her, and she hastily lowered her voice. "Since when does she accept his arm?" she continued.

"Who knows," muttered Remus, "But -"

"Bugger it, they're heading towards this way," Sirius snarled, slapping his magazine shut and stuffing it in his pocket.

Remus followed suit and the quartet quickly crossed the street, taking care not to be too obvious as they watched the couple go into Honeydukes.

"I'm hungry," Peter whined.

Suddenly, they heard a distant rumble.

"Was that what I think it was?" asked Alice, looking up towards the sky. Dark wisps of cloud were floating above their heads, dancing on the strengthening wind.

"Don't worry about it," Sirius assured her, giving the heavens a quick glance. "It's not going to rain."


End file.
